Over the years, I have listened to many hours, I mean many hours, of audio recordings. I’ve heard quite a variety, as well, from physical medicine to philosophy, from paranormal activity, to holistic healing, from historical events to political dogma, from time management to social and personal relationship; I even listened for pure entertainment to the odd novel. The audio list which is available today, some might say is near endless, and growing at a faster pace than it has ever before. I think no matter what you listen to, most of them can and likely will have some influence on your perception of what we are, physically or how we as humans behave socially. I think even in any novel’s story, there is some aspect of human behavior which is alluded to or highlighted in the story line.
Suffice it to say that I have NOT searched for the human bizarre, as I believe “that” to be a sad state of affairs which I do not care to acknowledge, or devote any of my time to.
I have always looked to find subjects matter which offered me at least a “slight” degree of personal interest, or an incite into human behavior.

Certainly for me, using audio files I found it much easier to explore material that I know I never would have read, in book format; but having listened to that material now, I am happier to have explored it. Some of my own fringe material however, certainly not all, but some, I have listened to several times. Nonetheless, even though I enjoyed the material, I know I still would not read the book. Why not you say? Well maybe because as an audio file I feel as if someone is talking to “me”, telling me about something or someone. I guess researchers would term me an auditory learner. I do often repeat things to myself when I am learning new material. Hearing someone else say it out loud in my ear I guess achieves that part of me which requires it. Perhaps another reason is because I normally listen to my material when I am alone. Reading text, to me requires concentration, and limits my movements; I typically need to be sitting down to do it. Maybe as many would attest I tend to be restless and always need to be doing something. Listening to an audio file means I can do other non-critical things, like walking, yet still absorb ideological content. I have found audio material to be excellent company when you are on a long drive by yourself or just spending time alone.
One audio area that I have concentrated on over the years would be classified as “self-improvement” material. I think they are by far the most numerous in my collection of some twenty five to thirty Giga bites. Am I better for it? I believe that I am but I suspect that I might be a bit biased also. People who have known me over the years may, have a different answer than my own.
What I CAN say, is that within me, I do feel better about myself. The world and life still holds mysteries, which I hope to explore, and hardships which I hope to overcome as well. I have gained confidence which has allowed me to even start a blog, as well as other writings which are not things I would have risked or considered, several years ago.
Having listened to a good quantity of material and I think many that I have searched out for one reason or another appear to be older material. Items written back in the earlier mid-20th century. That seems to have attracted my attention more so than the new age programs you see and hear on infomercials or the web of today.
Many of today’s speakers that I have spot listened to I find pretty consistently, say pretty much the same thing as the older material that I have. For sure new age speakers, each try to put their own spin on the rhetoric, trying to make it sound like they have just discovered or invented it on their own, but you know, since I have listened to so many audio files now, I would suggest that the new eschew the lessons from old. Masters like Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie, and Earl Nightingale. Perhaps those individuals from the past, also took their cues from older masters as well, I don’t know. But the important thing for me I guess is that the lessons appear to hold true no matter when in history they were written or spoken. I guess for me that, in itself gives the material a strong degree of truth. Our present and our futures are built from the past. Someday check out quotes on line for things people say today. Likely you will find that it might have first been uttered in the Roman era, or the Greeks and many others long since dead; like Aesop’s fables. Things can be modernized but the lesson and formulas appear to remain the same and true.
What started my own Audio Venture was perhaps 15 years ago on a Sunday morning flea market traipsing. I came across a plastic case, in good condition, with a picture on the cover of a white haired older gentleman, clean looking as most of them are, with the Title “You were Born Rich” by Bob Proctor. Well I thought, “I always would enjoy having more money” then I thought “Ha… bet you it’s all about being rich in life or has some religious connotation, he looks a bit like a preacher.” Inside were six or eight cassettes, each with its own title printed. I believe the seller had four dollars written on it, with a publisher price of perhaps sixty five dollars, don’t recall for sure. I don’t even think I tried to talk him down, which is very unusual for me.
Anyway I remember thinking, “can’t be that good, or about financial gains, if this person is here selling it, and so cheaply. He certainly does not look rich, or maybe he just never learned the lessons,” I chuckled to myself for the thought. Needless to say I made the purchase.
I travel a lot so time to myself, is often not in short supply. Well, to make a long story short I found the tapes absolutely brilliant. I loved the message and his voice delivery was excellent for me. I like to think that I am my own thinking man, so for sure there were some passages which might have raised my eyebrows some, upon reflection, but all and all I thought the material well worth the time to listen. The message was in essence (in a small nut shell) you can gain financially and morally without feeling guilty and be a better person for it.
When I came home that trip I invested in four small handheld tape cassette players, blank tapes and carrying bags to hold it all together. The MP3 market was not really the develop industry that it is today. “I know copyright infringement.” Well it is what it is; I was more interested in getting the message to my children. I honestly do not believe that any of them EVER listened to them however. The lawyers can chastise me for doing the act, but fate has reduced it to a meaningless function. Every time I queried my kids about it, there was always some excuse as to why they had not listened to it yet.
I am positive that today, (though that was many years ago) none of them could tell me what happened to the kits I made for them,…. even if their life depended on it. Another proof that you can bring a horse to water but the horse MUST drink for him or herself. (need political correctness these days)
For me, my life study in the audio self-help arena had kicked off in earnest. Bob introduced me to names and ideas I had never heard of before as he introduced source material for himself, like Napoleon Hill, Earl Nightingale, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Russell Conwell, and an absolute favorite of mine, “The Richest Man in Babylon by George S Clason; information I, believe everyone and especially young people, should be made to read or listen to that one, if none other.
These are but a few of the names which I have since researched and listened to. Most, several times over, some many times over, and every time I found a new insight or understanding. I have carried all of them with me on every trip from that day forward. I believe it has help me to broaden my views from financial facts to commerce history, and market predictions, from political views, to social injustices, from medical revelations to psychic beliefs, from religious societies, to belief in the Divine, from human relationship, to human tragedy and comedy. The spectrum is virtually limitless and growing by leaps and bounds every day.
One interesting point which I have also found is that there are websites like “Learn Out Loud”. Another is “Librivox” which create audio files from old, no longer in print material and it’s free to the public. It is of course of different quality than what is available on the commercial market since Librivox recruit the help of people like you and me to read the material and upload it.
All these tapes which I have purchased over the years and a good majority in second hand book stores have accumulated to a sizable physical mass. You could put them on a book shelf as you would any other book but there is a better solution. In my travels I am limited in carrying weight so all of the material had to be converted into an MP3 format which can now all fit nicely onto one small SD chip.
Once you are done with those bulky CDs, tapes, and records, I suggest donating them to the Institute for the blind, in your area. Perhaps more than anyone else they can appreciate the spoken word. I am pretty sure that many, a blind person shares similar interest to you.
My initial reason for this article was to discuss “Core Beliefs” but having talked about my audio adventures I think has and continues to influence my own core beliefs. At least I hope that they do, and in a positive way.
Many of the self-improvement audio will spell out formulas, and try to make you believe that if you follow it to the letter you will be rich, or famous, or healthy beyond your dreams. I think that “in essence” all of it bears some grains of truth. The hard part I think is in the BELIEF. For it all to work it’s more than just mantras that you might use to convince yourself that you are a true believer. But belief in itself is more than knowing or a thought…… and with that I will conclude with words from